No fraud, no criminal activity, no misspending of funds

The National Trust Board of the Kohanga Reo has
welcomed the report from the Serious Fraud Office that says
it found NO fraud or criminal activity in Te Pataka Ohanga,
the Trusts service provider company.

The Trust says it is
not surprised by this finding and has been saying all along
that there was no fraud involved.

“When this latest
report is coupled with the investigation of National Trust
activities carried out by Ernst and Young, which found there
was NO misspending of public monies – the Trust and
TPO have been cleared of the allegations that have been
leveled at them.”

“After all the unfair and
prejudicial criticism we have endured over the past few
months we are greatly heartened by this result. It confirms
what we have always known and frankly we are owed a few
apologies.”

“We are now looking ahead to carrying out
the resolutions from the National hui of kohanga reo held at
Turangawaewae in April.”

“That hui first of all gave
us the mandate to continue running the movement, it called
on the government to stay out of the movements business. It
set up a working party to examine future governance
arrangements for the movement and mandated the Trust to
manage that process; and it instructed the Trust to get on
with negotiating a settlement with the Crown following the
successful claim the Trust took to the Waitangi Tribunal.”

“As a board we can see no further obstacle to the Crown
coming to the table to negotiate proper funding arrangements
for Kohanga Reo, and other shortcomings the Tribunal
identified in the Crown’s dealings with the kohanga
movement.”

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